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“Luckily I remembered as I was steeping this how bitter it got at only 1:30 of steeping the first time I made it. I was able to yank the steeper out about 1:15 in and I’m glad I did, since...”
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“This one was really good. I got the bready flavors without any problem. I took it on my recent trip to Vegas and it steeped up very nicely in subpar temperature water in the restaurant. Now I need...”
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“This is, in my opinion, a nice breakfast tea. Sure, it’s all cut up into teeny tiny pieces, which really resemble course coffee grounds and have a spicy aroma. But for making a pot of tea to...”
Read full tasting note

From Butiki Teas

Our Crimson Horizon originates from the Mount Kenya tea region in Kenya. Tea is grown at 5,000 to 7,000 feet above sea level in this region, where the soil is rich with minerals. This premium CTC (cut tear curl) has burned chocolate, nutty, mahogany, baked bread, and light bergamot notes. Our Crimson Horizon CTC is far more complex than most CTCs and has little to no astringency. This tea makes an excellent breakfast tea.

31 Tasting Notes

Luckily I remembered as I was steeping this how bitter it got at only 1:30 of steeping the first time I made it. I was able to yank the steeper out about 1:15 in and I’m glad I did, since this had already turned super dark after it seemed like the leaves barely got wet.

I meant to try it without additives but the opaqueness of the cup intimidated me into adding creamer from the beginning. It turned into a lovely tamed tea once the creamer was added but I’m thinking my palate might not be able to handle it any other way.

I take most of my breakfast teas with milk and sugar anyway so this will fit in the rotation until I sip it down. It certainly was the jolt I needed to get into schoolwork this morning!

Preparation

Woah. This tea doesn’t taste like what I expected it to. It looks like a CTC Assam, but does not taste like it. Definitely bold. Needed some cream and honey. I like it, but I don’t think it will be a reorder. I think I over steeped it, though, and CTCs are kind of whiny about over steeping. I’ll add another note once I do the parameters as Stacy suggested.

TastyBrew-I’ve played around with the steeping parameters on this one and I find 1 level tsp around 190F or slightly less for no more than a minute produces an amazing complex cup with no astringency. If you have a chance, try reducing the temperature. Its really lovely.

This one was really good. I got the bready flavors without any problem. I took it on my recent trip to Vegas and it steeped up very nicely in subpar temperature water in the restaurant. Now I need to try it in more controlled conditions! :)

Preparation

This is, in my opinion, a nice breakfast tea. Sure, it’s all cut up into teeny tiny pieces, which really resemble course coffee grounds and have a spicy aroma. But for making a pot of tea to enjoy with breakfast, it’s a no-brainer, & it steeps up fast! The cup is nicely bold, malty, & has some interesting flavors that I will have to pay more attention to next time.

I woke up with a headache this morning, and knew I’d want a strong breakfast tea to help sort me out. This one came to mind — a sample I requested with my latest Butiki order. I don’t drink all that many CTC teas now, but they do have a place in my stash for days like this. Unsurprisingly, this one stands up to the pack easily.

It’s really strong, bold, black tea. I gave it the 1.5 minutes recommended, and added a generous splash of milk. It’s relatively sweet and malty, and I’m picking up a few yeasty, bread-like notes. It’s just the kind of no-nonsense tea I can appreciate on a morning, perfect for unashamed quaffing. I’ll definitely be adding a bag of this to my next order, to keep in reserve for days just like this one! Another excellent Butiki tea.

Preparation

I love bold, breakfast black teas. The kind that don’t have fancy descriptions and a line of connoisseurs lining up to sample them and give their two cents. CTC teas usually hit the mark here. This one certainly is bold, but there’s something funky going on. I think it almost tastes like someone boiled asparagus in the broth. I like asparagus just fine, and I certainly expect it in a green tea, but in my simple hearty black teas. . .eh, not so much. I added some milk and the asparagus flavor only got stronger. Now it’s like cream of asparagus soup! Far out man!

Preparation

This is very strong! I had it in the afternoon today, but I’ll be drinking the rest of my stash as a breakfast tea. I’m getting a lot of what I think might be best described as oaky notes, and I’m also picking up on that unexpected vegetal note others have mentioned. While it’s not a dealbreaker it is something I could do without in a black tea. Not bad, but I definitely prefer Butiki’s Irish Breakfast as far as bold morning teas go.

Preparation

Quite bold, but still drinkable without additions. I think I prefer the Grandpa’s Anytime Tea as a morning CTC, though. This one’s a less bread-y, and I seem to enjoy that flavour in my breakfast teas. It’s ‘brighter’ than Grandpa’s Anytime, if that makes any sense.

Something tasted a bit… green, or something. Like a hint of some savoury vegetable. That was rather unexpected.

I brewed this at a bit below-boiling for about a minute and a half, and didn’t get any astringency at all. Pretty impressive.

Preparation

I tried this one yesterday, mostly to decide whether or not i should send this off to a tea friend who would prefer it. I’m still torn and it’ll take a few cups to really decide BUT if there are folks out there who ADORE this, they should speak up, as i may be willing to send it out. This is a really strong tea from stacy. if you can manage to steep it for about a minute it’s not too much…1.5 and it gets close to needing milk and sugar lol

This tea is strong, malty and somewhat bitter. I bought it during the Butiki %50 off sale so I have an unfortunate four ounces of it. Perhaps I will have to get some vanilla beans and try blending them in myself. This tea is just too strong.

I brewed this tea one time in an 18oz teapot with 2.5 TSP leaf and boiling water for 1 min 30 sec.

AllanK, I can get this one to pretty much no astringency while still being full of flavor. I would recommend dropping the temp, like OMGsrsly mentioned but also dropping the steep time to a minute. Hope that helps.